


Heart on Fire

by dumpsterdiva



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Developing Relationship, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Voltron Secret Valentine 2017, as a result of a diet high in sugar and poor dental hygiene, brush ur teeth kids, gay!keith, insecure keith AND insecure lance aw shit, like this is the equivalent of gradual tooth decay, pan!lance, this is so fluffy it physically pains me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-16
Updated: 2017-02-16
Packaged: 2018-09-24 22:59:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9790919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dumpsterdiva/pseuds/dumpsterdiva
Summary: Recipe for this fic:1 peaceful morning jog in the park1 auto-mechanic hothead keith1 soccer player sinamonroll™ lance2 cups mutual piningA dash of angstAll the sugar in the worldWay too many bad pick-up linesAnd a burn so slow you could slow roast a whole Kaltenecker





	

**Author's Note:**

> “I didn’t mean for this to be so long” – me 2kALWAYS  
> me @ me: why are you like this
> 
> I have issues. ANYWAYS Happy Valentine’s Day to my Secret Valentine [@maiko-the-doll](http://maiko-the-doll.tumblr.com/)!! Sorry it’s kind of late but I got carried away with this monstrosity because I just really liked the idea??? Seriously, you don’t know how happy I was when you asked for fluff because girl I live and breathe that shit. Enjoy!!!
> 
> The title is partially inspired by those adorable Voltron Valentine’s Day cards and partially inspired by the BLACKPINK song ["Playing with Fire."](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvWfJTbrTBY) I blame my students for getting me obsessed with them…

Taking another deep breath, Keith closed his eyes before sighing deeply.

There was really nothing better than this.

The crisp autumn wind tousled his hair and cooled the sweat that trickled down the back of his neck, making him shiver. His muscles ached pleasantly as his feet pounded the pavement. Letting his eyes wander from the blurs of red and orange in the treetops to the cloudy sky, he sighed again before settling his gaze on the road ahead that seemed to stretch out forever.

The corners of his mouth tugged upwards and he resisted the urge to laugh aloud. He did allow himself to put a bit more spring in his stride, relishing in the fleeting feeling of weightlessness in that jump.

Still smiling to himself, Keith lifted his arm to wipe the sweat away from his eyes. As he started to lower his arm, a flash of blue next to him caught his eye and instinctively his gaze flicked over to his left to see what had passed him.

Whatever he had thought he was going to see, nothing prepared Keith for the dazzling grin plastered on the tanned face of the man sprinting by him.

For the briefest of moments, Keith felt his heart strain from something other than the physical exhaustion of his run. The stranger next to him turned his head to look over at Keith, grin growing ever wider, and Keith could feel his blood rush up to his ears under the weight of the other man’s stare. He was breathtaking. He was gorgeous. He was…

“Do you believe in love at first sight or should I run by again?”

And just like that whatever Keith had been on the brink of feeling vanished in an instant. His face screwed up with disdain before quickening his pace and turning his attention to the road again.

The last thing he needed on his peaceful morning runs was a shameless flirt.

Nevertheless, the man seemed undeterred. Effortlessly catching up to Keith, he said, “Oh come on. You have to admit that was a good one.” When Keith didn’t respond, the man merely shrugged and sprinted ahead of Keith. The momentary relief Keith felt was replaced by sudden irritation when the man turned around, still running backwards, and called out, “The name’s Lance by the way! Do you have a name or can I just call you mine?”

Stopping dead in his tracks, Keith spluttered, “Wh-WHAT?! Why would you call me your name?”

The smile that seemed permanently plastered to Lance’s face fell for a moment as he slowed to a halt. For a second Keith thought he had accidentally said something rude, but he realized he shouldn’t have bothered worrying when Lance burst into a fit of laughter.

“What?” Keith asked again with growing confusion and irritation.

But the only explanation Lance gave was, “Forget it, hot stuff,” before turning on his heel and shouting, “See you tomorrow!”

Gaping after Lance’s retreating figure, Keith stood frozen on the trail wondering if the last five minutes had really just happened.

_See you tomorrow._

Scoffing, Keith muttered to himself, “Yeah right.”

* * *

“Do you have a map? Because I think I got lost in your eyes. “

“Good morning to you too,” Keith said as he quickened his pace.

Unfazed, Lance matched him stride for stride, “Your legs must be tired because you've been running through my mind all night.”

With a groan, Keith shot Lance what he hoped was an icy glare. “No, they’re tired because I’m currently running _right now._ Away from you. Don’t you get sick of doing this every day?” he asked sharply but Lance only gave a sly smile in response.

Keith’s eye twitched and he huffed out a short breath. Somehow Lance had managed to find him every day for the past week. Granted, the park wasn’t very large but Keith was still surprised that Lance would make the effort to find him amidst the morning crowds.

But maybe what surprised him even more was finding that he actually kind of enjoyed it.

Not that he would ever admit that to Lance. He hadn’t even told him his name yet. Most definitely because he didn’t want this creep to know anything about him and definitely _not_ because he secretly enjoyed all the nicknames Lance had to come up for him instead.

Mentally slapping himself, Keith said, “Really, this is becoming borderline stalker behavior.”

Lance raised his arms defensively. “Hey mullet brain it’s not _my_ fault that you’re slow. It’s too easy to catch up with you.” He grinned. “And then leave you in the dust.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Oh please. If I didn’t have work later I could totally beat your ass.”

“Wanna bet?” Lance teased.

“Didn’t you just hear me?! I said I have work later.”

Lance pouted. “Sounds like something a loser would say but if you insist.” Taking larger strides, he looked over his shoulder back at Keith and stuck out his tongue. “Catch you later, samurai.”

Watching Lance run off into the distance, Keith felt a bubble of annoyance well up in his stomach and, despite his better judgement, he gritted his teeth and sped up.

No way in hell was he admitting defeat. Not today.

Catching up to Lance, Keith wheezed, “Fuck. You.”

Again, Lance shot that infuriatingly nonchalant smile at Keith and said, “Is that an invitation? Because if so, I accept.”

Thankful that his face was already flushed from the exertion, Keith turned away and mumbled, “Why do I even bother?”

Lance laughed lightly and, to Keith’s frustration, he didn’t seem out of breath at all. “Because, although you hate to admit it, you’re actually having fun.”

“Am not,” Keith quickly shot back. Lance was quiet for a moment and Keith wondered if he’d gone too far. He stole a glance over to his left and was shocked to find a kinder, almost fond, look on Lance’s face.

“Well, I am,” he said, the gentleness in his voice nearly making Keith trip over his own feet.

But just as quickly as it had appeared, the look vanished and Lance’s signature swagger returned with a vengeance. “Hey don’t go falling for me just yet, Red. There’s plenty more where that came from,” he said while reaching for Keith’s shoulder to steady him.

Keith hastily shrugged off Lance’s hand and shouted, “Stop messing around, asshole.” Trying desperately to shake Lance off, Keith accelerated as much as he could.

But as per usual Lance easily found his way next to Keith again and said, “Take it easy, hothead. Don’t go killing yourself.”

“Shut up,” Keith said through clenched teeth.

Lance pressed his hand in front of Keith’s arm in an attempt to slow him. “Hey, no really. Slow down dude. You have work later.”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Keith said as he slapped Lance’s hand away, but the sudden motion caused him to lose his balance as they rounded the corner. Before he could even register what was happening, his foot collided with an exposed root causing him to tumble off the path and crash into the grassy lawn.

Groaning, Keith squeezed his eyes shut and tried to ignore the throbbing pain from his ankle.

Through the ringing in his ears, he could faintly hear Lance calling to him.

“Shit, are you okay? Buddy?” A cool hand brushed away the hair from Keith’s forehead. “Fuck man, I’m so sorry. Are you hurt?”

Eyes fluttering open, Keith looked up to see Lance crouched over him, eyebrows furrowed and eyes filled with concern.

It knocked the wind out of Keith all over again.

“I’m fine,” Keith rasped as he struggled to sit up. His head was pounding and he could feel his ankle starting to swell, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell Lance.

Relief washed over Lance’s face and he fell onto his butt on the grass. “Thank God,” he said, covering his face with his hands. “That was a nasty fall.”

“Yeah, no thanks to you,” Keith pointed out.

Hands falling away from his face, Lance winced. “Yeah that was my bad. Didn’t actually think you’d be falling for me,” he joked weakly but when he saw Keith’s glare he looked away self-consciously. “Anyways, I _am_ really sorry about that. How can I make it up to you?”

Keith stared at Lance’s remorseful face, mouth turned up into a gentle, encouraging half-smile and his cheek resting against his knee.

_Didn’t actually think you’d be falling for me._

“You can make it up to me by leaving me the hell alone,” Keith said as he pushed himself off the ground and shook the pain from his limbs. Trying not to visibly limp, he made his way towards the park entrance. When he thought he’d come far enough, he snuck a peek behind him.

But Lance had already taken off.

Startled at his own disappointment, Keith wondered what exactly he had expected Lance do instead.

* * *

“Keith. Earth to Keith? Mars to Keith? Mothman to Keith? Keeeeeiiiith,” Shiro called from the floor. Lifting his leg and nudging Keith’s slightly he shouted, “Keith!”

“Aaahh!” Keith squeaked as he jumped several inches into the air. Turning to look at Shiro accusingly, he said, “Jesus, don’t scare me like that.”

An unamused look fell over Shiro’s face as he said, “I’ve been calling you for like the past minute. Why have you been spacing out so much today?”

Keith shrugged and tried to look nonchalant. “It’s nothing… I’m just tired.” Shiro looked unconvinced so Keith sighed and admitted, “Alright so I fell and hit my head a little on my morning run today. It’s no big deal.”

Shiro slid out from under the car and hoisted himself up. “What the hell, Keith? Is that why you’ve been walking weird today? Go home and rest. And put some ice on that ankle.”

“I’m fine, Shiro,” Keith said as he avoided Shiro’s troubled gaze. “Promise.”

“Well, at least sit down,” Shiro said with some exasperation. “You should’ve just taken the day off. A spaced out, injured mechanic is the last thing we need. Accidents happen.” With a meaningful look at his right arm, he clenched his metal fist and smiled forlornly.

Guilt crept up Keith’s neck and he mumbled, “Yeah… I know. Sorry.” Taking a seat on a small stool, he looked down at the floor and rubbed his ankle. He hoped it wouldn’t be too swollen later.

“So what’s _actually_ eating at you?” Keith’s head whipped up to find Shiro still analyzing him. “Oh don’t give me that look. How long have we known each other? I know there’s something else going on in that head of yours,” he said as he flicked Keith’s forehead. “So spill.”

“It’s really nothing,” Keith protested. The memory of Lance’s retreating back flashed in his mind. “Nothing at all,” he said, quieter this time.

Shiro raised an eyebrow. “Yeah of course it’s nothing. That’s why you look like you’ve been polishing the same spot of the hood for fifteen straight minutes,” he said while pointing to the car behind him. “Oh yeah, you bet your ass I counted. You’re like some sort of lovesick teenager.”

A blush dusted Keith’s cheeks and he stammered, “I-I’m not in love.”

Shiro gaped and his eyes bore into Keith, making the other man look away nervously. “Holy shit,” Shiro whispered. “That’s it, isn’t it? You’ve got it so bad,” Shiro said with visible excitement. He grinned mischievously. “So who is it? Where’d you meet him?”

“At the park,” Keith confessed but raised a hand to put a stop to Shiro’s giddy smile. “ _But,_ before you say anything, I’m not in love. It’s not even a crush. It’s just some flirty guy whose been chatting me up every day during my morning runs and enjoys annoying me to all hell. He’s the one who goaded me into racing him and I stupidly accepted and fell. That’s it. No love. There’s not even like.”

“Uh-huuuuhh,” Shiro drawled as he leaned against the car, arms crossed. “So how long has this been going on?”

“There’s nothing ‘going on,’” Keith said as he threw his hands up in the air. “I’ve only known this guy for a week and I already told him to stop bothering me, so I’ll probably never see him again. He doesn’t even know my name.”

“He doesn’t know your name?” Shiro asked with wide eyes. “And he still kept going up to you every day? That’s some dedication.”

“It’s just a challenge for him. He’s not serious,” Keith said with more spite than he intended. Covering his mouth in surprise, he shook his head and said, “Anyways, it doesn’t matter now. Like I said, I told him off and I’m probably going to take a break from those runs to let my ankle heal. I won’t have to worry about him anymore.”

Giving Keith a once over, Shiro said, “Alright… But for something that doesn’t matter anymore, you sure are letting it get to your head. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you like this.”

“You’re exaggerating,” Keith said with a sigh.

Shiro pushed himself off the car so he could pat Keith on the shoulder. “You know, despite all the teasing, I know it’s not love. And yeah, maybe you don’t even like him. You haven’t known this guy that long and it’s not as if you know anything about him,” Keith looked up at Shiro quizzically and Shiro continued, “But I can tell there’s _something_ going on here and, if you want it to be, maybe it could become something bigger. You can call it whatever you want but don’t deny it, Keith. You’ll just make it harder on yourself.”

With that, Shiro straightened and stretched his arms over his head. “I’m going to call Hunk to see if he can come in and take your shift. You go home and take care of that ankle… And think about what I said, too.”

Keith closed his eyes and let his head hang over his knees. Listening to Shiro’s steps fade away, he muttered under his breath, “Why does he always have to be right?”

* * *

“Hey buddy, how’s the ankle feeling?”

Propping the phone against his shoulder, Keith said, “Much better, thanks Hunk. Sorry you had to cover my shifts last minute. You’re a lifesaver.”

“Eh don’t mention it. I need the extra cash anyways,” Hunk said. “But I probably can’t cover for you much anymore. Did Shiro tell you about my new job?”

“Yeah, you’re working at a smoothie place? Sounds cushy,” Keith teased as he descended the stairs.

Hunk snorted. “I’d like to see you survive in a professional kitchen and then trying to say those words again.”

Keith smiled. “I’ll leave the tough stuff to you, Hunk. So two full time jobs huh?”

Hunk let out a long sigh. “I know I’m crazy but at least they’re the two loves of my life: food and machines,” he said with a laugh.

“Don’t let Shay hear you talking like that,” Keith said, entering the garage.

“Oh please,” Hunk said. “She wouldn’t even be phased. I know I’m third in her life too. Right after geology and dogs.”

Keith chuckled as he got onto his bike. “Alright, I gotta go Hunk but I’ll catch you later?”

“Wait, Keith!” Hunk said suddenly. “You should stop by the shop on the way to work. Give us a little business? I’ll whip up something nice for you and Shiro. You’re early anyways since you haven’t been going on runs lately.”

Keith grimaced at the reminder and said, “Yeah it’s nearly been two whole weeks. I can’t believe Matt wouldn’t let me go into work at all. I wasn’t dying or anything.”

Hunk made a dismissive noise. “But since you stupidly went into work after spraining your ankle, you made it a lot worse than it would have been if you had just stayed your ass home like a normal person.” Keith was about to protest when Hunk said, “Hey, I need to get back to work but don’t push yourself, alright? Don’t start running again until at least a week after you feel completely healed, just to be safe.”

“I’ve felt completely healed since last Wednesday! Honestly, I’m dying here Hunk. I need to run or I get all jittery with all this extra energy,” Keith complained. A nagging feeling in the back of his mind said there was more to his agitation than just pent up energy but he ignored it.

“A feeling I don’t understand in the slightest,” Hunk deadpanned. “See you soon?”

“Yeah, yeah. This better be the smoothie of a lifetime.”

* * *

Looking back on it, Keith should’ve known better than to say something like that, but how could he have guessed that Lance was a regular at The Juniberry.

And how could he have guessed that he and Hunk had been friends for years.

And how could he have guessed that Lance’s look of genuine shock and joy at seeing Keith again would send his heart racing a mile a minute.

And this time he couldn’t blame it on the run.

“Keith!” Hunk called from behind the counter. “Got you two house specials. They’re addicting, trust me.”

Tearing his eyes away from Lance sitting at the juice bar conspicuously mouthing, “Keith,” to himself, Keith walked as casually as he could to the counter and said, “Thanks Hunk.” He quickly fished the money out of his wallet while silently panicking.

_Just don’t make eye contact with him. I’ll get out of here as fast as I can and then I’ll make some excuse of how I can never come back again. Something like how I’m allergic to ice… Or allergic to hot guys that can’t seem to disappear from my life._

“Oh!” Hunk said, interrupting Keith’s train of thought. “I’m just about finished with a batch of scones. Fresh from the oven. I’ll go get you some.”

Frantically, Keith said, “No that’s alright Hunk. I, uh, I’m not hungry right now and I really gotta get going to work or Shiro will kill me.”

Hunk crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “Keith, you eat like six meals a day. Plus, Shiro isn’t going to kill you for being late on your first day back from being injured. You can wait a few minutes. I’ll be right back.”

“No… Hunk,” Keith tried again but Hunk was already rushing into the kitchen to get the scones.

 _Great_.

“So Keith, huh?” a familiar voice piped up from his left.

Keith gave the barest of nods but didn’t dare look at Lance. He stared hard at the wood graining on the counter, tracing it with his index finger, trying his hardest to suppress the shiver at hearing Lance say his name for the first time.

“Keith,” Lance repeated, softer this time. Keith’s nails dug into the counter, wondering how this could get any worse, when miraculously it did. Lance chuckled quietly and said, “It’s a nice name but I kind of liked Red better. It suits you and your constantly red face.”

“My face is not constantly red,” Keith objected as he whirled around to face Lance, which he immediately regretted doing. The amused smile on Lance’s face said it all.

He’d won again.

“Keith, have you even looked in a mirror? It totally is.” While Keith struggled to come up with a retort, Lance added, “But maybe it’s a good thing. If I were you and saw myself in a mirror, I’d never stop looking.”

Keith prayed that his face didn’t look as warm as it felt but a snicker from Lance unfortunately proved otherwise. “See what I mean?” Leaning his head into the crook of his elbow, Lance muttered, “It’s cute.”

Stomach tying itself into knots, Keith scoffed and said, “You have absolutely no sense of shame, do you?”

Lance shrugged. “I just tell the truth.” His shining blue eyes bore into Keith’s. “What about you?”

Keith was saved from having to respond by Hunk walking through the kitchen doors and saying, “Lance, how many times have I told you to stop hitting on customers? It’s bad for business.”

Keith hated that that simple fact make his heart sink into the pit of his stomach.

 _I knew it,_ he thought. _Thank god I didn’t let myself fall for his mind games._

_Thank god._

Lance rolled his eyes and said, “Can’t I have a simple conversation? Is that not allowed? Keith and I were just catching up.”

Hunk incredulously looked back and forth between the two. “You guys know each other?”

“No, nope, not at all,” Keith denied hastily as he grabbed the bag of scones from Hunk and slammed a few bills onto the counter. “Anyways, thanks for this Hunk. I gotta go.” Turning on his heel, Keith all but ran out of the store.

_Calm down. He does this all the time. It’s nothing special. Don’t let it get to you. Don’t you fucking dare let it get to you. Stop thinking about it. Stop it right—_

“Keith.”

Keith’s keys slipped from his hand just as he was attempting to open the seat of his bike. Without turning around, he asked coolly, “Yeah?”

“You forgot your change,” Lance said. “Hunk told me to give it to you.”

“Oh right,” Keith said still frozen in place.

“You kind of need to, you know, take it?” Lance said, not unkindly.

Nodding slowly, Keith pivoted just enough to see Lance’s outstretched hand and grab the money from it. “Thanks.”

As Keith stuffed the bills into his pants pocket, Lance asked, “How’s your ankle?”

“Fine,” Keith said tersely. “I can finally go back to work today.”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah.”

Keith heard Lance shift behind him and step closer. “Keith, I am still really sorry about what happened. Are you sure I can’t do something to make it up to you?”

Maybe it was the way Lance asked it in a surprisingly vulnerable yet firm tone or maybe it was the heat of Lance’s body so close to his making him lose all rationality, but Keith found himself saying, “You know anything about physical therapy? I could use some help getting the strength back in my ankle.”

Keith could almost feel Lance’s brightening behind him. “You’ve totally come to the right place. I know all there is to know. We can meet up next week at the park entrance. Same time as always?”

Keith’s heart skipped a beat at the word “always.” “Yeah, sounds good.”

“Perfect! We’ll have you back to your normal self in no time. Maybe even better seeing as your former self was a turtle.”

Keith spun around and yelled, “I was not! You’re just inhuman!” But as his anger subsided and he realized how close his face was to Lance’s, he mentally berated himself for letting his guard down and letting Lance goad him into this again.

Keith was about to make another excuse about being late for work when Lance suddenly started leaning in closer to him. Heart thudding loudly in his chest, Keith prayed that Lance couldn’t hear it despite how close they were. Lance’s face drew dangerously close to his own and Keith felt his mind going blank, when Lance abruptly crouched down onto the ground.

Blinking away his surprise, Keith couldn’t even find the energy to resist when Lance took a hold of his hand and placed something into his palm.

“You dropped your keys,” he whispered before letting go and backing away. “See you soon, Keith.”

The minute Lance disappeared behind the corner, Keith let his knees give out and he slumped over the handlebars of his motorcycle.

_Oh no._

* * *

“Would you stop that already?” Pidge asked as she slammed her fist onto her work table.

Keith momentarily stopped sucking on the straw and mumbled a quick, “Sorry.”

Pidge sighed. “Your drink has been empty for like, ten minutes. I get that it’s basically the nectar of the gods and I’m still mad you didn’t get me one, but can you please get over it and go back to work? The sound is driving me insane.”

Nodding mutely, Keith pushed himself away from the table and absentmindedly slid the straw back and forth in the cup with his mouth.

“And stop doing that too. Just throw the cup away already.”

Keith pouted a bit and reluctantly tossed the cup into the trash. He hated admitting Hunk was right but that smoothie really _was_ addicting. So much for trying to claim any allergies.

Realizing he should probably get some work done, Keith attempted to crouch down to inspect the chassis of the car he was working on but the keys in his pocket digging into his thigh made him stand back up again.

_Stupid keys. Stupid Lance. Stupid me._

Taking out all the crap out of his pockets, Keith started throwing his wallet and keys onto the table when something caught his eye.

Among the crumpled stray bills, one of them very clearly had something written on it in bright blue Sharpie.

Picking up the bill and smoothing it out, Keith read and reread the words over and over again but somehow he still couldn’t quite believe them.

_Hey Red there’s something wrong with my phone. It doesn’t have your number. You can fix that by calling (xxx) xxx-xxxx. It’s a 24/7 hotline just for you_

At the sound of Keith’s frustrated scream, Pidge yelled for the third time, “WOULD YOU FUCKING STOP THAT ALREADY?”

* * *

“You did _what_?” Hunk asked, voice cracking.

“Relax, man. I just gave him my number,” Lance said as he swirled his juice with his straw. “Though who knows if he’ll actually call me.”

Putting a hand to his face, Hunk said, “I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about the fact that you’ve been hitting on my co-worker and friend for like a month now and I’m just finding out about it. Dude?!”

“Okay first of all, it’s only been like a week since I haven’t seen him in forever. Second of all, I didn’t know he was your friend,” Lance pointed out. “He was just a cute stranger. A very, _very_ cute stranger.” He rubbed the back of his neck and blushed. “One I want to get to know better.”

Hunk peeked at Lance through his fingers. “You’re serious?”

“Dead serious. Sirius Black serious. Christian Bale Batman serious. Hugh Ja--”

Hunk held up a hand. “Alright, I get it already. Sheesh.” A tiny smile formed on Hunk’s face. “You seem happy.”

Lance buried his face into his arms, which lay folded onto the table. “I am,” he mumbled. “He agreed to meet me next week. It’s just for physio but… A guy can dream.”

“Physio huh? You sure you didn’t trip him on purpose so you could show him your skills?”

Lance made an offended noise. “How could you even suggest that? I’d never hurt someone on purpose, especially someone that beautiful.”

Hunk grimaced. “Okay, gross. You think you’re _so_ smooth, don’t you?”

Taking a sip from his drink, Lance smirked and said, “Oh I _know_ I’m the smoothie-est.” He lifted his fist up to Hunk. “Can I get an amen?”

With a groan, Hunk reluctantly raised his fist and knocked it against Lance’s. “You are objectively the worst.”

* * *

“Did you sit in a pile of sugar? Because you have a pretty swee--“

“Lance, would you please shut the hell up?” Keith interrupted, not looking up from the shoe he was tying.

“You really are _not_ a morning person, are you?” Lance commented as he sat down next to Keith. “How’s the ankle feeling?”

Keith shifted onto his butt and rolled his ankle around. “It’s felt fine for weeks now… But Matt still won’t let me run.” Keith stretched his right arm to the side and moved it in small circles. “He’s too overprotective.”

“Matt? Who’s that?” Lance asked innocently.

“My friend’s brother. Well, I guess he’s my friend too. He’s a pediatrician but for some reason feels qualified to give me advice.”

Lance grinned. “Makes sense. You do act like a child, Keith.”

Keith’s nose scrunched up as he retorted, “That’s real rich coming from you.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Lance said as he extended his legs in front of him and completely bent over them. “I’m a fully-grown man. In more places than one.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Tearing his eyes from Lance’s distracting flexibility, Keith flushed and tried to keep his voice even as he asked, “Can we get started already?”

Lance chuckled but obligingly stood up and reached a hand out to Keith. “Your hand looks heavy. Mind if I hold it for you?” Scoffing, Keith ignored Lance’s hand and stood up on his own, but Lance didn’t seem to mind. Instead he bounced on his toes and asked, “Ever done heel-toe walks before?”

* * *

“I look stupid,” Keith grumbled for the hundredth time as he waddled like a penguin on the backs of his heels. “Everyone’s staring.”

“Stop being self-conscious. They’re just jealous of how stunning we are,” Lance said as he kept pace with Keith. “This really will do wonders for your ankles. Trust me, I’m not making you suffer for no reason.”

“Somehow I highly doubt that,” Keith said as he struggled to maintain his balance.

Lance waved a hand dismissively. “Oh yee of little faith. Come on, switch to your toes now.”

Keith sighed but did as he was told. Getting up onto his toes, he gingerly made his way down the path. He didn’t want to admit it but he was having a tough time doing these exercises and his ankle was starting to throb again. Holding back a wince, Keith repeatedly told himself to just grin and bear it when Lance abruptly put a hand on Keith’s shoulder and pushed him down.

“That’s enough, Keith.”

“Huh?”

Lance gestured to Keith’s ankle and said, “You’re getting tired. Let’s take a quick break. We’ve been going at it for a while already. Don’t want to push you too hard on the first day.”

“Oh,” Keith said as he took a seat next to Lance on the park bench. “Was it that obvious?”

Nudging Keith a little, Lance said, “Everything you do is obvious to me. You’re an open book.”

“I am not,” Keith objected.

“Yeah, maybe not to everyone but you are to me,” Lance said as he slung his arm across the bench. Tilting his head to Keith, he asked, “Wanna know why?”

Something in the tone of Lance’s voice suggested something much deeper than Keith was willing to let himself believe so, ignoring the pounding in his chest, he pointed out, “You don’t know anything about me.”

Lance leaned back slightly and assessed Keith for a moment before lifting his hand in surrender. “You’re right. I don’t. So tell me more.”

Shifting away from Lance’s intense stare, Keith asked, “What do you want to know?”

Lance shrugged. “Anything and everything honestly but I guess we can start with… what’s your favorite flower?”

Keith looked over at Lance and narrowed his eyes. “My favorite… flower?”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t you want to know something more, I don’t know, basic? Like my last name or my age or birthday or my job? You know normal stuff?” Keith spluttered as he thrust his arms in front of him.

Chuckling softly, Lance said, “If you think I haven’t already grilled Hunk into telling me all your stats, you don’t know me very well either.”

Keith felt his ears grow hot and to cover up his embarrassment he quickly blurted out, “Cacti.”

“What?”

“I… my favorite plants are cacti. I like the small round ones the most. They’re kind of cute I guess. And cacti flowers are really beautiful. They only bloom for a short time but somehow it makes them feel more special,” Keith rambled, unsure of why he was willingly admitting these things to Lance.

Lance smiled gently and said, “Yeah, I think I get it. It fits you perfectly.” Before Keith could ask what he meant by that, Lance continued, “My favorite flowers are sunflowers by the way. Because they’re bold, beautiful, and radiant just like me.”

Looking at Lance’s shining smile, Keith felt inclined to agree but instead he rolled his eyes and asked, “You have any other questions for me or is the interrogation over?”

“I’m just getting started,” Lance said eagerly. “Oh yeah, how was your Thanksgiving? It was so good to be home again.”

“I didn’t really do anything special. Just worked.”

Lance’s jaw fell as he said accusingly, “What?! You didn’t even see any of your family?”

Keith hesitated for a second before using his usual excuse. “Nah, Texas is too far of a drive and too expensive of a flight. My family was never big on Thanksgiving anyways.”

Lance’s eyes widened. “Holy shit. Keith, you’re Southern? Aw man, I’ve always wanted to use this one: Are you from Tennessee? Because you’re the only ten I see.”

Keith tilted his head and said, “I just told you I’m from Texas.”

Lance’s features screwed up as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Forget it.” Perking up, he asked, “So you got one of those big Southern families then?”

Keith went quiet for a moment, uncertain if now was the right time to bring this up, but the genuine curiosity on Lance’s face gave him the courage. Rubbing the back of his head, he confessed, “It’s… actually just my dad and I. And we don’t talk too much anymore so I don’t really go back home in general. It’s not a big deal since I never grew up doing holiday stuff but sometimes it’s hard to explain to people. I don’t want their pity.”

“Oh,” Lance said slowly. He paused for a few beats before saying, “Thanks for telling me. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

A small smile danced across Keith’s face. He’d never seen Lance so subdued before. “Don’t worry about it. It happens a lot.”

“When’s the last time you were home?”

With a shrug, Keith admitted, “I can’t remember. Since a little after high school maybe? It’s probably been about five years.”

Lance whistled long and low. “Damn, I can’t even imagine being away from my family that long. I get homesick after a few months let alone five years.”

“You a momma’s boy?” Keith teased.

Lance grinned. “Hell yeah. You think I’d be anything but grateful to the woman who raised _this_ perfect specimen?” he said as he gestured to himself.

Keith snorted and shoved Lance playfully. “Shut up.”

Lance beamed. “Hey, I think you’re warming up to me. If this had been a few weeks ago you would’ve been like, ‘Fuck off, Lance. I hate you.” As he said that, he pulled his face into an exaggerated scowl.

Sheepishly, Keith mumbled, “I don’t hate you. You’re annoying and cocky and a brat, but I don’t hate you.”

“Gee thanks.”

In a moment of rare honesty, Keith admitted, “Seriously, I'm having a good time today. You’re not so bad once we start having an actual conversation.”

Lance leaned his head closer and said, “Really?”

Keith’s eyes darted to Lance’s for a moment before he said, “Yeah, really.”

They sat together in silence for a while, each burying their embarrassed smiles into the crooks of their arms, when the shrill ringing of a bicycle bell startled them out of their reverie.

Lance was the one who stood up first, stretching his hand out to Keith. “Alright, break time’s over. I still got a whole repertoire of humiliating exercises for us to do.”

Keith groaned. “I changed my mind. I do hate you.”

But the way he took Lance’s hand and pulled himself up said otherwise.

* * *

Keith landed on his bed with a sigh. Pidge and Shiro had been on his case all day, telling him that they could practically see the happiness radiating off him. He had tried his best to fend them off but it didn’t help that he kept remembering the way Lance did an exaggerated heel walk in front of a group of children just to get a few laughs. Or the way he excitedly chased after a taco truck and insisted on treating Keith to lunch.

Eventually his blissful, giddy smiles disgusted Pidge and Shiro enough to leave him alone.

Heaving another deep sigh, Keith rolled onto his side and stared at the crumpled bill on his dresser drawer.

When he had first seen the note, he had been at a loss at what to do. He couldn’t spend it with Lance’s number and embarrassing message on it, but when he had attempted to throw it away he found that he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Taking the dollar off the table, Keith carefully smoothed it out and held it up to the light. Would it be too much to call Lance after they had seen each other today? He could always text him but the note _did_ say call…

Before he could lose his courage, Keith grabbed his phone off the bed and punched in the numbers before hitting the call button.

By the second ring, Keith started to wonder if he should’ve texted instead.

By the fourth ring, Keith felt regret creeping up his spine.

By the seventh ring, he was considering fleeing the country.

Just as he was about to hang up and flush his phone down the toilet, a haggard voice panted, “Hello?”

Swallowing hard, Keith croaked out a hoarse, “Is this Lance?”

“Yeah. Yeah it is,” Lance said, his breathing starting to even out. “Keith, is that you? Sorry, I just got done with practice.”

“Practice?”

Over the sounds of rustling clothes, Lance explained, “Yeah I’m on my college’s soccer team. Midfielder.”

The image of Lance is a soccer jersey flashed in Keith’s mind but he hastily distracted himself by asking, “Oh is that why you know so many of these ridiculous exercises?”

The sound of Lance’s laughter rang too close to Keith’s ear, making him shiver. “Yeah, years of stupid injuries will teach you a thing or two. If you ever dislocate your shoulder, I’ve got you covered.”

Keith winced. “Ouch. No thanks.” Suddenly, he sat up and said, “Hold up, that is totally not fair. You never told me you were a professional athlete. No wonder I could never beat your scrawny ass.”

With a snort, Lance said, “You’re still hung up about that?” Keith heard a loud clang as Lance slammed his locker door shut. “It’s not like I’m a professional or anything so don’t try to make it seem like it doesn’t count. I still kicked your ass.”

“What was that? Couldn’t hear you over the injury that you caused,” Keith said flippantly.

“Are you ever—yeah, see you tomorrow—Are you ever going to let that go?”

“Never.”

Lance sighed. “Guess I deserve that. So anyways, what’d you call for?”

Keith froze momentarily, cursing himself for not thinking of an excuse earlier, before stammering, “I just… well…” Falling back onto the bed, he shouted, “I’m just following your instructions.”

The sound of a car door closing punctuated Keith’s outburst and there was a moment of silence before Lance asked tentatively, “Did you… Did you call me just because?”

“No,” Keith denied unconvincingly. “I’m calling because you told me to.”

Lance chuckled. “Well, whatever the reason, I’m happy you did. It’s nice to hear your voice.”

Squirming in his bed, Keith prayed he didn’t sound as flustered as he felt when he huffed a terse, “You’re welcome.”

“So… I guess that means we hang up now? You called. I answered. Mission accomplished?” Lance asked casually.

“No, well… We don’t…” Keith rubbed his temple. “I guess yeah… You’re right.”

Lance stifled a laugh and said, “Don’t sound so disappointed, Keith. I don’t want to hang up either.”

“Who’s disappointed?” Keith grumbled but flushed at Lance’s admission. “So you’re a college kid, huh? Does that make me older than you?”

Keith could practically hear Lance’s pride swelling as he said, “Sorry, Red. I went to community college for a few years so, while it might be embarrassing to be taking Bio Stats with a bunch of bright-eyed, bushy-tailed teenagers, I can safely say that I am a _whole_ eight months older.”

“You’re still a giant baby though,” Keith said with a hint of annoyance.

“Hey!”

Ignoring Lance’s protests and quickly doing the math in his head, Keith asked, “Was it your birthday recently?”

“Yeah a few weeks ago.”

“Oh, happy birthday. Sorry it’s so late.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it. There’s always next year.”

Unable to suppress the grin that gradually took over his face, Keith repeated, “Yeah, next year.”

Keith heard Lance shuffle around in his seat before he said, “Hey, I’d be happy to do this for the rest of the evening but I have _got_ to get into the shower. I’m in an enclosed space and the smell of my sweat is slowly choking me to death.” Keith spluttered out a laugh at the imagery and Lance joined him. “Yeah, laugh it up. It’s not like you smell like a bunch of roses after a work-out. But hey, if you’re free sometime soon maybe we can continue this conversation? Over a smoothie or something?”

“I… I’d like that.”

“You free Saturday morning? Meet you at The Juniberry at 10?” Keith hummed an affirmation. “Cool. Oh, and Keith?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you play soccer, too? Because I think you might be a keeper.”

“Good night, Lance,” Keith said as he firmly pressed the end call button.

In a parking lot a few miles away, Lance put the phone to his face and happily whispered, “Good night, Keith.”

* * *

“And then my brother bursts into the room with a fucking _raccoon_ on his head,” Lance said as he dramatically raised his hands above his head.

Keith choked on his smoothie and started pounding his chest with his fist as he hacked up a lung. Lance abruptly stopped his story and started rubbing Keith on the back but was unable to stop his own fit of laughter. A tall woman walked up to the two of them and ruffled Lance’s hair.

“Hey, no dying on the premises. Or at least if you do, make sure to don’t do it while drinking our smoothies.” She winked. “It’s bad for business.”

Wheezing through the bits of fruit stuck in his throat, Keith said, “My bad, Allura. But have you _heard_ this story?”

Allura smirked. “Yeah, but I wasn’t dumb enough to have any food in my mouth at the time.” Putting a hand on her hip, she asked, “So can I get you boys anything else or are you just going to take up my counter space for the rest of the day making googly eyes at each other?”

They both blushed furiously and Keith muttered, “We aren’t…” He sighed. “Forget it. I have to go to work anyways. Pidge asked me to cover her shift while she goes to some nerd convention about self-driving cars. Said it was a ‘business trip.’” Lowering his air quotes, he turned to Lance and said, “You _need_ to tell me the rest of that story later or I’ll never be able to rest in peace.”

Lance perched his head on his arm and said, “You got it, mullet. Call you later?”

Looking away shyly, Keith gave a small nod. “Yeah. I get off work at eight.”

Keith started off towards the door when Lance called, “Hey, if you were a vegetable you’d be a cute-cumber!” Without missing a beat, Keith flipped him the bird over his shoulder before making his exit.

Lance leaned back onto the counter with a chuckle and Allura side-eyed him. “You two are sickening. I run a family establishment. It is _not_ your love den.”

Lance made a horrified face. “Allura, please never say love den again.”

“Don’t do things that make me say it and we’ve got ourselves a deal,” she retorted as she went behind the counter and wiped it down. “What I don’t understand is how you’re not going out already. You meet here every Saturday _and_ you’ve been going on runs with him every morning since his ankle healed. It’s been what, two months?”

Lance’s head thunked against the counter as he muttered, “Two months and eleven days. Two months and four days if you count the time we were apart because I went home for Christmas. Though I guess we still texted... And called exactly three times.”

“Disgusting,” Allura huffed, throwing the towel over her shoulder. “Then what’s the hold up? It’s obviously not from a lack of feelings on either side. Anyone can see he has it as bad for you as you do for him.”

“It’s not that simple,” Lance said, still pressing his face to the counter. “There’s something special here and I don’t want to mess it up. He’s already gotten mad at me once and I thought I’d never see him again. What if I get too clingy and scare him off? It’s happened before.”

Allura raised an eyebrow and asked, “Clingier than you are right now? Is that even possible?” Seeing Lance’s terrified expression, she clarified, “It’s not just you. He’s the exact same way. When did you become such a coward, Lance? You can’t hide behind your stupid pick-up lines forever.”

Lance pulled his hands along his face. “I know, I know. But every time I start to say something or even _think_ about making a move to kiss him, my body just seizes up and I end up saying something stupid instead.”

“So just say the stupid thing and then profess your undying love for him after.”

“Allura!” Lance screeched. Taking a breath, he said, “Look, I’m comfortable with the way things are now. It’s fun just hanging out with him like this. Is it so bad that I want to take my time?”

Allura rolled her eyes. “Boys are _so_ dramatic. Sure, if you never get together you don’t have to worry about breaking up and losing him, but think about all the other amazing things you’re giving up. Is protecting yourself from that pain really worth missing out on all that?”

With that Allura turned on her heel and headed towards the kitchen, leaving Lance to wallow in his own self-pity as he lazily traced hearts on the counter with the condensation from his glass.

* * *

“And then I was alone with the raccoon when my mom runs in screaming bloody murder with a broomstick in one hand and a cross in the other. She still thinks that ‘coon was possessed by el Diablo to this day.”

Keith wiped his tears away with his palm and let out a last breathy laugh. “I have got to meet your family someday,” he said before he could register what he was saying, but as soon as he realized, he immediately backtracked and said, “I mean… They just seem like cool people. Like aside from being your family. Maybe I’ll run into them one day like casually… Out in the world. Somewhere.”

_Smooth, Keith. Real smooth._

An ominous silence from the other end of the line sent Keith’s heart into a frenzy, but just as Keith was about to self-implode, Lance asked quietly, “Would you be interested in coming to my game on Tuesday? It’s not meeting my family… but I guess the team is like my second family. No pressure or anything. Just if you’re free.”

Keith nodded vigorously before remembering that Lance couldn’t see him. “Yes. A thousand times yes. I’d love to. I have the afternoon off.”

“Great! I’ll… pick you up then? Around 3:30? Maybe we could get dinner after too?”

Resisting the urge to pump his fist into the air, Keith said as calmly as he could manage, “Yep. Yeah. Dinner. Awesome.”

“Okay, see you soon then?”

Keith was about to confirm, but couldn’t resist asking in a playful voice, “What no cheesy pick-up line this time?”

But he instantly regretted even bringing it up when Lance responded, “Sorry, I’m too happy to think of anything even remotely coherent right now. You’ll just have to do without it tonight, Red.”

With that he hung up, leaving Keith to drop his phone onto his bed before slowly grabbing a pillow and muffling the longest scream of his life.

* * *

“What do you even wear to a soccer game? Should I wear my running clothes? No, I’m just a spectator so jeans are probably fine? But we’re going to dinner after. What if it’s somewhere nice?! I mean he’s probably going to shower after, right? But what if he _doesn’t_ shower and I have to look at his hot, sweaty body all night?! Pidge, are you listening to me?!”

“Sorry I zoned out after you said ‘spectator’ and came back some time around ‘hot, sweaty body,’ which was a huge mistake. Now I’m praying to every known deity to smite me from this plane of existence,” she said with thinly veiled irritation. “Just wear what you wear every day. Don’t you only own like three shirts anyways?”

“Hey, I own roughly seven shirts. Two are exactly same and one I’ve only worn to my high school graduation, but that’s not the point. I’m trying to sweep a man off his feet here.”

Pidge groaned loudly over the phone. “I am going to give you one last piece of advice and then I’m going to hang up on you so listen carefully.” Keith paused his ranting and waited for Pidge to continue. “Calm the _fuck_ down,” she commanded before hanging up.

“Oh thanks a lot Pidge,” Keith said sarcastically before tossing the phone onto his bed. Looking through his closet again, he assessed his options when his eyes fell on his red tank top. The one he was wearing the day he first met Lance.

He had never felt a particular attachment to the color before, but the nickname Lance had given him was starting to make it his favorite.

Pulling the tank top over his head and hopping into a pair of jeans, he felt his stomach turn over again. Even he didn’t really understand why he was more nervous than usual. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t been on semi-dates for months now. This wasn’t that big of a change. Besides Lance picking him up. And meeting his second family. And dinner. And the obvious excitement in Lance’s voice.

 _So maybe it is special_.

A vibration from his phone interrupted his thoughts and he dived onto the bed to pick it up.

“Hello?”

“Hey, I’m outside your apartment. You ready?”

“Be down in a second,” Keith said shoving his keys and wallet into his pockets and grabbing his leather jacket from his desk chair.

Taking the steps two at a time, he landed gracefully in front of the door and took a deep breath.

Here goes nothing.

* * *

“So you’re the infamous Keith?” A chipper voice asked from behind him.

Keith jumped in his seat and turned around to see a mustachioed man peering curiously at him. “Infamous?” he questioned nervously.

“Oh it’s not a bad thing so don’t worry,” the man said as he took a seat next to him. “I’m Lance’s coach, Coran.”

Keith shook Coran’s outstretched hand. “So what exactly do you mean by infamous?”

Coran quirked an eyebrow and explained, “You think it’s easy to keep secrets on a team like this? Even if it was, let’s just say Lance is _not_ shy about answering your calls in front of the entire team. It’d be a miracle if we didn’t know who you were at this point.”

“Oh,” Keith said with a blush, suddenly remembering all the times he had heard Lance casually chatting with his teammates while they were on the phone. Why hadn’t he realized how embarrassing they were being?

Coran smiled warmly at the boy and said, “It’s not anything you need to be ashamed of. You don’t have to worry about homophobia with this team. I give the boot to anyone with that attitude immediately. They’re all good kids.”

Keith’s blush deepened. “I’m not… He’s not… We’re not dating.”

Coran’s eyes widened in surprise and he quickly apologized, “Oh, terribly sorry. I just assumed with the daily calls, the pet names, and the constant look of bliss on Lance’s face that you two were.” Frowning at his own words, Coran said hesitantly, “But I suppose that was my mistake?”

Keith sighed. “When you put it that way I guess it really does seem like we’re dating.” Looking out to Lance running drills on the field, he confessed, “Just between you and me, I think tonight might be our first official date,” Keith said, excitement creeping into his voice.

Coran patted Keith’s shoulder affectionately. “I think you’re probably right. Sitting on the sidelines is not something we let just any random person do. And, also just between you and me, I haven’t seen Lance this happy in a long time... So thank you.” Giving Keith’s shoulder one final pat, he stood up and walked onto the field before turning and adding, “Enjoy the game, Keith. I do hope you come again.”

“Thanks, Coran.” Watching Lance fooling around with his teammates with that stupid grin plastered to his face, Keith smiled and said, “I think I will.”

* * *

“Go Lions!! Hustle! Thataway Raymundo! Karan is open! Show these Blades what you’re made of!” Coran yelled through his bullhorn.

At first, Keith had watched Coran’s panicked yelling with detached amusement. He’d never really been into sports before, but the past half hour had really taught him a thing or two about mob mentality. Jumping up and cheering when Klaizap stole a ball out from under a Marmoran player’s nose, Keith found himself just as invested as Coran was, if not more so.

Plus, watching Lance so serious and determined was an added bonus.

Eyes following Lance as he sprinted up the field, Keith let out a low whimper as he watched Lance slide tackle a ball away from one of the Blades before getting up and wiping the sweat from his face with his shirt. Yeah, he could see himself getting into this sport.

“God that number 33 is one hot piece of ass,” a voice said from above Keith. Willing himself not to whirl around and demand who was making eyes at his man, Keith strained his ears and listened.

“Oh, Lance? Dude, go for it. It’s not just his looks. He’s so nice to everyone and not to mention he swings every way. I’ve heard rumors that if you show even the slightest bit of interest in him, he’ll definitely say yes to at least one date. You can’t go wrong!”

Keith’s heart started to sink into his stomach but he desperately tried to brush off the dark thoughts. They didn’t know Lance.

“You really think so?”

“I know so. One of my friends said they went on a date with him last week!”

Keith squeezed his eyes shut and stood up abruptly.

_They don’t know him. They’re just rumors. Don’t believe them. Lance wouldn’t do that._

But the more Keith let his thoughts consume him the more he wondered why _couldn’t_ Lance do that? It’s not like they made any promises. They weren’t dating. He had no obligation to tell Keith if he was going on dates, let alone not go on them because of Keith.

A screech of a whistle brought Keith back to reality and suddenly the entire team was running towards the sidelines. Grabbing water bottles and spraying them playfully on each other, the team crouched down and listened to Coran’s assessment of the first half.

Keith watched Lance intensely, his eyes following the drops of water that slipped down his cheek and fell into his shirt. Lance seemed to feel the heat of the stare because he quickly glanced up and shot Keith a smile before focusing on what Coran was saying again.

Slowly, that black feeling that had wrapped its way around Keith’s throat started to dissipate. It was nothing. There was no point worrying about some random conversation between some strangers.

The team broke off and Lance jogged over to Keith, grinning from ear to ear.

“Having fun?” he asked as he bit into an orange slice.

Keith tried his best to look enthusiastic as he said, “Yeah, I never thought I’d be screaming so much over a stupid ball.”

Lance let out a muffled laugh and said through his orange slice, “Me either, but here I am. Wasting nearly twenty years of my life.” He wore the orange peel like a cartoonish smile and added, “You sure you’re having a good time?”

Keith nodded vigorously. “I am. Really.”

Lance let the orange peel fall to the ground. Tilting his head, he stared at Keith for a long while before putting his hand on top of Keith’s head and mussing his hair as roughly as he could.

“Hey!” Keith protested.

Lance said lightly, “Usually games seem to be over before I know it, but today it feels like it’s been dragging on forever. Maybe because I have something to look forward to?” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. “So think carefully about what you want for dinner. Japanese? Italian? Mexican? Thai? _Cuban_?” He ran a hand down the length of his body and Keith snorted.

“Shut up and focus on the game, jackass.”

Lance saluted and ran back onto the field as the whistle blew again. Watching him go, a wave of relief washed over Keith.

_See, nothing to worry about._

* * *

 Clapping his hands wildly, Keith shouted, “Run, Lance, run!! Kick their asses! You can’t get tired now!! If you even so much as pause, I will never stop giving you shit about it for the rest of your life!! Do you hear me?!”

Keith knew Lance probably couldn’t hear him from this distance, but the smile that played across his lips made Keith wonder if somehow Lance had heard him loud and clear.

The score had been infuriatingly stuck at 0-0 for the whole game and with only about five minutes left, Lance had successfully stolen a ball and made a breakaway.

A bulky Marmoran player had started gaining on him, but Lance wasn’t taking any chances. Passing the ball to one of the forwards that had managed to catch up with him, he weaved around his opponent and crossed to the other side of the field.

“Good move Lance!! Khanh, keep that footwork sharp!! You’ve got this!!” Coran screamed while flapping his arms.

Keith’s throat was going hoarse from all the yelling but he couldn’t even feel it as he watched Khanh make a clean pass back to Lance who wound his foot back to take the shot.

The satisfying swoosh of the net echoed through the field.

Hollering and cheering with joy, the Blue Lions immediately tackled Lance and Khanh while they stood dumbstruck at the goal. Keith chest clenched with absolute joy watching Lance looking so exuberant, so radiant in his success.

Keith had never felt the urge to kiss him as badly as he did now.

But the game wasn’t over yet, at least not in theory. With two minutes left on the clock, the celebrations were cut short and everyone went back into position at the halfway line. The Blades did their best to end the game strong but even they knew it was a lost cause.

With the final three tweets of the whistle, the game officially came to a close and the entire team jumped from the sidelines to rush their players. A giant dogpile had formed on the field and Keith tentatively started jogging towards it to find Lance.

Pushing his way through the throng of people, he scanned his eyes over the crowd and saw Lance surrounded by his ecstatic teammates who were heaping praise on him. He even saw some of the Blades come up and shake his hand to congratulate him.

Keith smiled and hung back. He could let Lance have his moment.

As the crowd started to dissipate, Keith noticed someone in a beanie staring at the Blue Lions, impatiently tapping their foot. Looking back and forth from the person to the crowd, Keith’s throat went dry as he realized just who the stranger was staring at.

Body moving before his brain, Keith made a beeline toward Lance and grabbed his shoulder roughly before enveloping him in a tight hug.

So what if Lance was having a moment? So what if Lance was nice to everyone? So what if Lance was technically a free man? Frankly, Keith didn’t give a damn. And like hell he was giving up without a fight.

“Woah!” Lance exclaimed in surprised before his face lit up when he saw Keith’s face buried in his shoulder. “Well isn’t this a nice surprise?”

Keith shrugged and attempted to keep his tone neutral as he said, “After a shot like that, I figure it’s the least you deserve. You were amazing out there.”

An uncharacteristic shyness swept over Lance’s face as he mumbled, “It’s because I knew you were watching.” Keith felt his throat go dry at that revelation but Lance quickly changed the subject. “Your way of cheering is too fucking funny by the way.”

Keith’s eyes narrowed and he glared at Lance. “Do you have super-sonic hearing?”

Lance leaned down and whispered in Keith’s ear, “I don’t know if I’d call it that, but when I’m hyper-focused I can only hear the voice of the most beautiful person in the room. Seems I found out who that is.”

Keith roughly shoved Lance away and cupped his ear. “You seriously need to stop doing that.”

Merely sporting his goofy grin, Lance sprung back and draped himself over Keith’s shoulders. “Keef, noooo. I’m sorry. I’m going to faint from exhaustion and hunger and your criminally good looks are delivering the finishing blow.”

“Shut up,” Keith said, crossing his arms and ducking his head low to hide his reddening face.

“Would you two get a room already!” yelled Lance’s teammate, who Keith was pretty sure was named Dwayne. The rest of the guys whistled loudly and Keith secretly wished for a giant hole to swallow him up in that very moment.

Lance stuck his tongue out at his friends before retorting with, “You assholes are just jealous.” Moving closer to Keith, he mumbled, “Can we get out of here already?”

“Don’t you want to celebrate with them more?” Keith asked softly.

Lance scoffed. “With these losers? Nah, I see too much of them as it is.” He paused before adding in a hushed tone, “I know I said I wanted you to meet them but can we save that for next time? I don’t really feel like sharing you right now.”

Keith’s chest felt so tight he could barely breathe. “I know what you mean.”

“Then what are we waiting for?”

* * *

Strapping himself into Lance’s car, Keith turned to Lance and apologized. “Sorry I didn’t think about where we should eat at all. I was too focused on the game… But you should pick. You’re probably starving.”

Lance shook his head. “I’m fine. Shower first then we go.” He started the car and pulled out of his parking space before turning out onto the road.

Running his eyes over Lance’s toned body still in his dirty uniform, Keith cleared his throat and said, “I don’t understand why you don’t just shower here. They have a locker room.”

Lance raised an eyebrow. “You think I maintain hair this luscious and skin this soft with a locker room shower? If I don’t properly cleanse my skin, my pores would be _huge_ given the amount I sweat. Not to mention the horrors of bacne.” He shuddered.

Keith looked at him incredulously before hiding a laugh under his hand. “Of course. Just roll down the windows so I don’t choke on your stench.”

Lance smirked coyly. “You seemed just fine with my stench when you were clinging to me earlier.”

“That was a one-time thing!” Keith spat back.

“Really?” Lance asked with a hint of disappointment creeping into his voice.

Keith hunched his shoulders and muttered, “Maybe… I don’t know. I guess it could happen again if the situation calls for it.”

Their eyes met for a split second before they both swiveled their heads and stared out their windows. After a few moments of silence, Lance said with a small smile, “I can work with that.”

* * *

“Have you moved at all since we got here?” Lance teased as he rubbed his hair with his towel.

“Yes,” Keith squeaked, when in reality he had actually been sitting on Lance’s couch stick straight for the past half hour, spacing out and running through the hundred different ways this night could go.

If Lance was unconvinced, he didn’t show it. Slinging the towel around his neck, he said, “You know, I was thinking about what we should do tonight and, after giving it a lot of thought, I figured out that tonight’s menu doesn't really matter as long as it’s got me’n’u.”

A quizzical look appeared Keith’s face. “Lance, that’s very nice but you have to eat something. You probably ran like ten miles today.”

“What? No, I mean…” Lance rubbed the back of his head and took a seat next to Keith. “I’m saying I don’t really care where we go tonight as long as we’re together… So I was thinking, if you want, we could order approximately seven pizzas and watch a movie?”

Keith balled his hands into tight fists and spluttered, “You always say the stupidest things.”

“What? Is seven too little? I’m just warning you that six of those are mine so if you want more tell me now.” He laughed at Keith’s disgruntled face and said, “Relax, Keith. We can do whatever. It’s just an idea. I know a good gyro place a few blocks down if you want to go there.”

Lance started to get up but Keith roughly pulled him backwards and said, “No… It’s a great idea. I—I’d be fine with anything you suggested.”

Keith risked a peek at Lance who stared back at Keith for a moment before gradually lifting his hand. Keith could hear his blood roaring in his eardrums as Lance’s hand brushed by his cheek, but suddenly Lance put his hand on top of Keith’s head and used it as leverage to push himself up off the couch.

“Ow!” Keith complained.

“I’ll call the pizza place,” Lance said without turning around. “You have a preference?”

Keith blinked in confusion for a moment before saying, “Just no pineapples.”

Lance nodded before walking back to his room to get his phone, leaving Keith unaware that his face had turned a brilliant bright shade of red thinking of all the things he wanted to suggest they do together.

* * *

“Okay why is it never explained how Marty is just randomly friends with some crazy, reclusive scientist? Who apparently steals from Libyan nationalists?? Definitely something that went over my head as a kid.”

Keith put a finger to his lips and shushed Lance who just rolled his eyes and grabbed more of the popcorn they had made while waiting for the pizza to arrive. Lance ate his popcorn silently before stealing a glance over at Keith who was staring at the screen with rapt attention.

Silently scooting over an inch closer to Keith, Lance reached for more popcorn and asked, “Do you think Marty’s parents ever like wondered why their son grew up to look so much like that one guy with the same name who was essentially the one who got them together?” Lance tossed a piece of popcorn in his mouth. “I mean did how could his mom forget his face after she’s been staring at it so intensely? Just look at her.”

Keith blindly reached for more popcorn, not able to tear his eyes away from the screen. “It’s not like Marty was there for that long. Even if his mom had the hots for him, it’s not like you’ll remember someone you met thirty years ago that you only knew for a week.”

“I sure as hell didn’t forget you after that week,” Lance said under his breath.

He thought Keith wouldn’t hear him due to how concentrated he was on the movie, but he was proven wrong when Keith dropped the piece of popcorn that he was about to put in his mouth and sat frozen with his mouth slightly ajar.

A light dusting of pink spread across Lance’s cheeks. Attempting to salvage the situation, he stammered, “I’m just saying that I think a week is long enough for someone to make an impact on you. I mean Marty was a god that descended and brought them good old rock n’ roll. How could they forget him?”

Lance hoped the joke was enough to distract Keith from what he had said but Keith wasn’t looking at the screen anymore. His eyes bore into Lance and his mouth opened and closed several times before he asked, “Why do you say all these things?”

“Things? What things?” Lance said, hating the way his voice cracked at the end.

Keith leaned towards Lance and gestured vaguely. “The cheesy flirting. The compliments. Everything. Are you like this with everyone?”

“What? No! Of course not!” Lance quickly denied.

“Then why?” Keith insisted.

“I…” Lance began but the intensity of Keith’s stare scared him into silence. The words caught in his throat and refused to come out. “I just…”

Keith’s brow furrowed and he turned away from Lance before asking hotly, “Would you hang out like this with anyone?”

“I already said no!”

“Really? Not even casual dates or anything?” Keith persisted.

“Keith, _no_. I’m only doing this with you.” Lance frowned. “Why are you so hung up on this?”

Keith whirled around to Lance and blurted, “Because I overheard that you went on a date with someone last week!”

Lance’s face screwed up. “Last week?” He thought for a moment before saying, “That was a study group, not a date. There were like five other people there. I don’t even know which of them would’ve said that. Trust me, Keith. I wouldn't do that. Do you really think so little of me?” Lance said with a twinge of hurt.

Keith’s voice shook as he exclaimed, “Of course not, but I don’t know how else to explain the way you’ve been acting! There are lots of people out there who think you’re hot shit, Lance! Why did you waste so much time flirting with me when I clearly wanted you to leave me alone? You could’ve easily moved on. I was just some stranger you met in the park. I… I knew you were just messing around when we met, which is why I tried so hard to avoid talking to you but you insisted on becoming a part of my life. And eventually I gave in.”

He took a deep breath to collect himself before continuing. “I kept telling myself to not read too much into it. That you might do this all the time and go on lots of dates and say these things to other people… That I was probably getting ahead of myself by thinking this is… different. Special.” Keith’s voice trailed off and he squeezed his eyes shut, willing the burning feeling behind his eyes to stop. “But the thought of this not meaning as much to you as it did to me was physically painful and, no matter how hard I tried to deny it, I realized that I probably fell for you ages ago.”

A deafening silence fell over the room. Lance wanted to launch himself off the roof for being as big of a coward as he had been, but instead he swallowed back any last traces of his fear and hesitation. Slowly, he reached out a hand to brush Keith’s hair out of his face and tucked it behind his ear. Keith’s eyes flew open and when Lance saw himself reflected in them, he realized how stupid he had been to think that either of them could be satisfied with the status quo they had.

He admitted as much to Keith when he said, “I’m the biggest moron in the universe.” Touching his forehead to Keith’s, he smiled and rubbed his thumb against Keith’s cheek. “I can’t believe I’ve been letting you worry about this for so long. There’s no one else I’d rather run with, flirt with, drink smoothies with, watch bad movies with, laugh with, talk with, _be_ with, than you. I’m not saying I fell in love with you at first sight, but when I saw you that morning something told me that I had to get to know you or I’d regret it for the rest of my life. And I was right. Do you know how many times a day I went to the park after you injured your ankle, hoping you’d show up? When you walked into The Juniberry that day, I felt like I had used my lifetime’s supply of luck to get that second chance.”

Bringing his other hand up to Keith’s face, Lance continued, “So yeah I was scared to make a move in case you walked out of my life forever. I thought if we could just keep that balance between friends and... being something more, that we could be together for longer. But now I know how idiotic that was of me. And while I might not have fallen in love with you at first sight, whatever I’m feeling now is so much better. I like everything about you. Your fiery personality. Your consideration for others. Your adorable laugh. Your snappy comebacks. Your voice when you’re sleepy. Your hair when it’s tied back. Your face when you’re trying to be angry but can’t. Your determination. Even your stupid leather jacket. I want you, Keith. I want all of it. And every day I want to learn more and more.” Smiling sweetly, he asked, “Is that a good enough explanation?”

Tears pricked at the corners of Keith’s eyes as he said in a wobbly voice, “ _Back to the Future_ is not a bad movie.” Lance was about to ask if _that_ was all he got out of his heartfelt confession when Keith closed that last inch of space between them and clumsily brought their mouths together.

Eyes fluttering closed, Lance drowned in the warmth of Keith’s mouth and the comfort of the other boy’s arms wrapping securely around his neck. Using one hand to stroke Keith’s cheek and the other to play with Keith’s hair, Lance brought Keith into his lap and suppressed a shiver when Keith’s legs hooked around his waist. Keith experimentally nipped at Lance’s bottom lip, eliciting a low, breathy moan. In response, Lance briefly ran his tongue across Keith’s front teeth and giggled when Keith made a startled noise into his mouth. Wondering if Keith would make that noise again, Lance floated his hand to Keith’s hips and hesitantly ran his fingers along the waistband of his jeans. He smirked as Keith shuddered and continued to lightly trace his fingers across the skin of Keith’s back, making him gasp.

If it weren’t for the loud ringing of the doorbell, they probably would’ve been content to do this for the rest of the night. Even with the promise of pizza, Lance still didn’t want to move a single inch.

“Pizza’s here,” Keith murmured into their kiss.

Not pausing his movements, Lance whispered, “Why have pizza when I can have a _pizza_ you?”

Keith snorted and lightly shoved Lance. “You actually need to eat a proper meal, sharpshooter. Your stomach is growling.”

“Is not,” Lance protested over the loud rumbling of his stomach. He sighed. “Alright, fine. But raincheck?”

Keith grinned and quickly pecked Lance on the mouth. “Definitely.”

 

 

 

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

 

 

**Bonus:**

“Why do you eat your pizza like you’re a surgeon? Just eat the toppings _with_ the damn thing,” Lance muttered into Keith’s shoulder.

“Because the toppings fall off or I accidentally pull off all the cheese in one bite,” Keith protested as he put a mushroom in his mouth. “If I do this I can assure a perfect toppings to cheese to bread ratio,” he said as he ripped off a bit of cheese.

“But you’re eating them separately!” Lance pointed out brought Keith further onto his lap so he could reach around him and grab another slice of pizza.

“I chew it all together at the same time,” Keith clarified.

Lance bit into his slice and sighed in defeat. “Whatever. I give up. You’re so weird.”

Keith nudged Lance with his elbow and teased, “What happened to loving all of me?”

“I do love all of you, your bad taste in movies and pizza eating habits included, but that doesn’t mean I can’t give you shit for it at every possible moment.” He punctuated his words with a kiss on Keith’s neck.

Slapping a hand over Lance’s face, Keith loudly complained, “Augh! Your mouth is so greasy! Aren’t you obsessed with skin care?!”

 Lance wrestled Keith’s hand away and pressed another sloppy kiss onto Keith’s cheek. “Don’t worry I have plenty of cleanser. We can do facials after this.”

“That doesn’t make me feel better, Lance! Get your greasy lips away from me!” Keith said as he struggled out of Lance’s grasp.

“Keeeeeiiitthhh,” Lance whined.

“Let me go!”

“Keith,” Lance murmured into another smattering of kisses on the nape of Keith’s neck. “Keith.”

Keith trembled and his limbs went limp. “Shut up.”

“Keith,” Lance said, voice low and gravelly.

“Please stop saying my name like that.”

Lance shook his head. “I didn’t know your name for a whole week. I will take every opportunity I can to make up for lost time.”

Keith’s whole body felt hot as he covered his face with his hands. “It’s not like you’re going to run out of opportunities any time soon.”

“But today is special.”

Keith looked back at Lance quizzically. “Why, because it’s our first date?”

Lance stared blankly at Keith. “I should’ve known..." He groaned. "It’s the 14th, dumbass.”

“What’s your point?”

“Of February,” Lance elaborated.

Keith thought for a moment before his eyes widened in shock. “Oh.”

“Keef, sometimes I think you grew up under a rock. Though I guess Texas is the same thing.”

Keith smacked the back of Lance’s head. “Hey!”

“My point is,” Lance said undeterred. “That it is not only our first date, but it is also Valentine’s Day. It’s special, Keith.” With that, he traced his lips along Keith’s collarbone, making him squirm.

“That still doesn’t mean you have to say my name so much,” Keith protested.

“Keeeeiiittthhh,” Lance drawled into his ear before kissing it.

“You’re going to make me sick of my own name.”

“Keith,” Lance said in a whisper laced with affection as he brought his lips to the corner of Keith’s mouth.

 _Okay, maybe I won’t get sick of it_.

**Author's Note:**

> OKAY YEAH. THAT WAS A LOT. SORRY YA'LL.
> 
> Idk why I am so inspired to write long ass things for things I don't really need to write long ass things for but then when I have shit I actually have to do my brain is like "lol new phone who dis"
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this fluffy roller coaster ride from hell. I need more practice in writing relationships developing over a long period of time so this was a good exercise! I loved writing all the little cute moments they have together just laughing and having a good time being with each other. My boys are so pure™ Also, I never thought spraining my ankle as many times as I have would actually come in handy one day. I was a midfielder like Lance and ran track and let me tell you my ankles are permanently fucked up, my dudes.
> 
> And special shout out to [@purplepizzaandjam](http://purplepizzaandjam.tumblr.com) for supplying me with the raccoon story idea from her [sketch](http://purplepizzaandjam.tumblr.com/post/157318721190/ill-probably-redraw-this-tomorrow-for) that she texted me one day and I literally died over because it was so cute. Hope you enjoyed the addition I made to the story lmao
> 
> P.S. if you wanna know what Keith does with that dollar bill, they frame it and when they move in together they put it in their bedroom because they're dORKS


End file.
